Of Field Trips and Phantoms
by Ironinkpen
Summary: Danny's class ends up in the Ghost Zone due to a scheme orchestrated by Vlad. Obvious problems ensue. A Revelation Fic.
1. Of Fighting and Fatigue

**Summary:** Of Fighting and Fatigue (Or: Danny Fenton is not having a good Monday.)

**Rating:** T

**Pairing:** Some sprinkles of Amethyst Ocean in there

* * *

Danny Fenton is not having a great start to his day.

For one, it's Monday, which is always a horrible day of the week no matter how bright the sun is shining or how sweetly the birds are singing. And that's disregarding the fact that Danny wakes up _before_ the birds. At two in the morning.

At any other time, he would have marveled at the rate the Box Ghost manages his escapes from the Ghost Zone- but, running on two hours of sleep, he's not in the mood for introspection. Or the Box Ghost. He stares at the moon from his bed for a few seconds before finally dragging himself out, allowing the two familiar white rings to wash over his body. His pajamas disappear in favor for a black HAZMAT suit with a peculiar symbol on it, and his hair goes from dark black to startling white. When he opens his normally blue eyes, they are bright green.

Danny stands in the dark dazedly for a few moments and stares down at himself before remembering what he's doing. He rubs sleep out of his eyes quickly before jumping out the window.

He finds the Box Ghost relatively quickly- he's in an alleyway, messing around with some boxes discarded from a nearby restaurant- and touches down just as he starts making his regular rant.

"Beware, for I am the Box Ghost, master of all containers square and rectangular!" When he notices Danny, he directs his army of floating Chinese food boxes to target him. Danny wrinkles his nose distastefully- with his track record, he's not even gonna have time to _sleep_, let alone shower. "Flee, halfa child! For you will not capture me with your cylindrical containment unit this time-!"

By the time he's finished with his sentence, he's already in the Fenton Thermos.

Danny sighs and shakes the thermos experimentally as the boxes clatter to the ground. Part of him wants to leave the Box Ghost in there for a good week, but he also knows how uncomfortable it is. He's not heartless. Maybe this time he'll release him into the Lunch Lady's custody instead-

He frowns. Ew.

Just as he moves to get home and possibly find a brain scrubber to wipe his memories of the horrid image of Box Lunch, a blue mist curls out of his mouth and he shudders reflexively before groaning. He doesn't even have time to move as a two-thousand pound battle suit rams into him and sends him flying into the trashcans.

"Skulker." He groans, turning intangible for a moment so that the leftovers fall off of him. The hunter clicks a button and reveals several rocket launchers on his back. He grins predatorily.

"Ghost Child." He says in greeting.

"Here for my pelt?"

"Yes."

"New upgrades?"

The grin grows wider. "Yes."

Danny only has a second before the rockets leave their chambers and fly straight towards him. He sidesteps, glad no one's there but also afraid that he'll destroy some poor person's business. Turns out he doesn't need to worry, though, because the rockets _follow_ him.

He yelps, shooting up into the air as they trail after him, a merry conga line of impending doom. Skulker's laughter is equal parts annoying and obnoxious, and Danny makes sure to hit him with a quick ectoblast, childishly reveling in the yell of surprise he gets. His small victory is short lived, though, since one of the rockets touches his boot and explodes viciously.

He grits his teeth as his leg is burned and puts some energy towards healing himself. Right, rockets. Impending doom. Danny thinks for a second about what he should do with them when he remembers that the rockets explode when they're touched. Pushing some more power into his flight, he zips up ahead of them, making sure they're far enough away from the city to detonate safely. Then, he shoots.

His ectoblasts match the rockets hit for hit, and nine more explosions ring out over Amity. Luckily, the town's used to all the noise, and most people will sleep through the fight. Which is good, because he doesn't need anyone calling Mom and Dad right now.

Skulker growls up at him from his position on the ground, and even exhausted Danny finds it in him to stick his tongue out at his enemy. "Nice try, Ghost Zone's Greatest Firework, but it's going to take a little more than that to get me."

Skulker soars up until he's eye-to-eye with Danny. "Is that so?" He asks just as he presses another button. Danny is hit dead on by a blast of fire, and he swallows his scream reflexively as his flesh burns and crippling pain engulfs his rib cage. Flamethrower. Joy.

"Really… if it's not… electrocution, it's burning me alive." Danny snarks breathlessly as the flames die down, trying to ignore the harsh searing that spikes through his chest painfully. "What is _wrong_ with you people?" He dodges the next ball of fire by a hair. "Fine, we'll play that way."

Skulker hasn't a second to move as Danny thrusts his palms outward, ice exploding from his fingertips. The flame fizzles out as it comes in contact with his ice, and Danny flexes his digits experimentally.

"You know, I was aiming for a giant snowball, but okay." He shrugs, jumping towards Skulker before he can collect himself. He delivers a quick, ectoplasmic hit to the jaw, sending the big hulk of metal flying into another alley.

Skulker takes a bit to stand up, and Danny takes that time to look at his leg and chest. The leg's not that bad- his suit has already patched itself up, which is a good sign. The chest, however, seems to be a problem. The burn isn't, well, _burning _anymore, but it aches and hisses when he moves too much. It isn't the worst pain in the world, but it isn't too pleasant either.

Before he can figure out what to do about it, Skulker flies up again, clearly miffed. "Cryokinesis?"

"Yep!" Danny says cheerfully, popping the 'p'. "Pretty cool, right? Though, I think I've already used it against you before."

"You haven't."

"Well, it's hard to keep track, with you guys coming more than five times a day. And that's ignoring good ol' Boxy here, who seems to be some sort of escape artist. How does he get out of the Ghost Zone so quick?"

Skulker seems to actually ponder this for a second. "None of us have asked." He finally says, and the two share a moment of silence before Skulker's thoughtful look turns into a predatory smirk. "Never mind that, whelp. You'll have all of eternity to think about it when your pelt is on my wall."

Danny manages to scramble out of the way a barrage of ecto-balls comes straight towards him. His chest throbs at the effort. "Dude, seriously," He ducks as another missile comes towards him and promptly blasts it as it makes its arc overhead. "One, that's really gross. Two, that doesn't even make sense. And three," He flies straight towards Skulker, head-butting him soundly before delivering a flaming ball of ecto-energy to the gap between his head unit and neck. The head falls off cleanly, revealing the chamber where a protesting little ball of goo shakes his fist at him. "This fight's over."

Little-Skulk is not pleased. "I'll get you next time, ghost child!" He screeches in that ungodly little voice of his. Danny rolls his eyes- that's what he always says. Popping open the thermos, he watches with mild satisfaction as Skulker gets sucked in. "You have not seen the last of-!"

Danny sighs in relief as Skulker's squeaky voice disappears. Rubbing his chest absently, he wonders what time it is. Probably three. If he's lucky, he can get another solid four hours of sleeping in before heading off to class. A little more if Jazz's home and can drive him.

Just as he makes the decision to go back to Fenton Works and capitalize on that sleep, the Box Ghost hops out of the thermos. "Beware!" He cackles as he takes off towards the docks.

Danny stands there dumbly for a second before groaning and taking to the sky. "Oh, come _on_!"

* * *

"I hate the Box Ghost, I hate Skulker, I hate the Box Ghost, I hate Skulker, I hate the Box Ghost-"

"And you hate Skulker." Jazz rolls her eyes at the wheel playfully, a smirk touching her lips. "I got it, little brother. You've been saying the same thing for the past 10 minutes." Danny shifts uncomfortably, and out of the corner of her eyes she sees him reach up to scratch his chest. "Don't touch the bandages."

Danny pouts grumpily but complies. "I don't get why you had to wrap me up. The burns will probably be gone by lunch."

"Well, yes," Jazz hits a speed bump and Danny's head meets the top of her small car. "But the fabric of your shirt could irritate the burn and cause an infection. And, so can touching the bandages too much. So don't touch."

"If you're really trying to make me more comfortable, can you stop vaulting over potholes?" He rubs his scalp. "I'm getting a headache here."

Jazz clicks her tongue and purposefully speeds the car up at the next bump. Danny hits the ceiling instantaneously. "Maybe if you shrunk a few inches, you wouldn't be having that problem."

"I wish-" _You'd just get a bigger car_, he's about to say when a mist slips through his lips. Instead, he says loudly, "That Desiree was back in the Ghost Zone."

A whispery voice greets them. "Your wish is my command." She flickers in their vision for a moment before vanishing.

"Huh." Jazz raises a contemplative brow. "That was easy."

Danny huffs and sinks back into the car seat. "It's the one wish she doesn't screw up. There're no loopholes."

He reaches up to scratch and Jazz swats his arm. "No touching."

"Hey, hands on the wheel, little miss driving manual! That's our turn!"

Jazz snaps back to attention and shoots a sharp left off the main road right into the parking lot of Amity High. A few seniors honk at them in annoyance and Jazz frowns at them sternly, which is the Jazz-equivalent of flipping them off.

"You drive like Dad." Danny observes when Jazz cuts off yet another kid. He ducks his head and snickers when he notices it's Dash.

She finally pulls into her reserved faculty spot at the front of the school. "Oh, quit whining. You don't see me complaining when you fly us around with your crazy loop de loops and whatnot."

"…You just said 'whatnot' in actual, real conversation."

"Stuff it, Danny."

The engine cuts off and she pockets the key. Then, just before she slips out of the car, she tosses something into Danny's lap.

He looks down at it. It's a stack of flashcards, neat and tidily gathered in a rubber band. "What…?"

"You have a test after study hall." Her whole face softens when she smiles at him. "Memorize that stuff and you'll be fine. Think of it as a reward for dealing with your most _hated_ enemies last night."

What starts out as a bad day seems to brighten significantly. Jazz can see in his expression that actually passing tests is something Danny has come to think of as a dream these past two years. She reaches over and ruffles his hair with fondness in her eyes while Danny flushes under her gaze, looking absolutely mortified. "Jazz, _stop_."

"What, I can't thank the hero?" His embarrassment grows with the little compliment. "The savior? Amity Park's own guardian angel?"

"Jazz!"

His blush is as endearing as it is amusing. "Fine, fine, I'll be on my way. Visit me in guidance if you want to talk. My job gets boring sometimes, since most Amity Park's kids don't trust councilors after the Spectra incident…"

With the attention off of him, the red settles back into a fresh pink. "You'll win them over."

"I know." She smiles again. "Do you want me to drive you home?"

Danny finally has the sense to unbuckle his seatbelt and open the door. "Nah, I think we're going to Tuck's house today."

The pace they set to get into school is relaxed, which is rare. Danny's usually flying in and Jazz is usually called into the office early for work. Students bypass them briskly, but since they're both on time for once they revel in the ability to walk slowly.

"Have a good day." She says once they're inside and Danny starts to go off towards his locker. He grins at her lopsidedly and nods in response, which Jazz takes to mean "you, too." Pleased, she turns to head off to work, but not before sparing him another quick glance over her shoulder. "Don't scratch."

She hears his groan down the hall and laughs.

* * *

"What we are witnessing here today is truly a one-in-a-million moment, ladies and gentlemen," Tucker, voice deep and mocking, gestures at Danny like some game-show contestant. "Daniel James Fenton-ghost boy extraordinaire- has- probably- passed a test!"

Danny expends the energy necessary to throw a chicken nugget at Tuck's face, only to find himself disappointed when Tucker catches it in his mouth.

"Cute," Sam says, referring to Tucker's expert nugget catching skills. "Now, if only you could do something useful with yourself."

Tucker puffs out his cheeks at her. "We're supposed to be ragging on Danny. Dan-_ny_. It's Danny-ragging time. Not Tucker-ragging time."

"There's a Danny-ragging time?" Danny asks, having been uninformed. Sam smirks.

"Tucker-ragging isn't a permanent state of being?"

Tucker unwraps yet another meat-packed sandwich poutily. "It's a wonder I haven't ditched you guys by now."

Danny tosses him another chicken nugget, this time without the intent of hitting him in the face. It's eaten with ease.

"Good boy." Danny says.

Tucker crosses his arms. "I'm not a pet, dude!"

Sam throws something this time. Tucker's mouth snaps open reflexively and it's gone in five seconds. Well, at least until he tries to choke it up.

"God- what- what _was_ that?"

"Part of my sandwich." Sam says pleasantly. "Good dog. Sit."

When Tucker throws a slab of meat at Sam in retaliation and war breaks out, Danny laughs hard enough to irritate his chest. Both friends freeze and turn towards him, eyes softening from snarky humor to steady worry in a heartbeat. He almost wonders at the speed with which they go from crotchety old men to concerned parents.

"'M fine."

Sam raises an unamused brow at him. "Right."

"No, seriously!" He glances around them- they're eating outside under a tree, so no one's really in their vicinity- before pulling up his shirt the slightest bit. Their eyes skip over the muscle before meeting the bandages. "Jazz already patched me up, nice and official. Promise!"

The two of them share a look that annoys him a bit. It makes him feel like he's five again and was just caught playing with ectoranium in the kitchen. Finally, Tucker says, "Alright, we believe you. But how did that happen?"

"Skulker has flamethrowers now." Tucker makes a face and Danny rolls his eyes. "Original, I know. But, add 'em to the ghost files anyway."

Tucker wipes vegi-burger off his pants before reaching into his pocket to retrieve his PDA. As he clicks away, he comments, "What is up with these people and burning or electrocuting you?"

"That's what I said!" Danny throws his hands skyward.

Sam reaches over him and takes a swig of his water, eyes suspicious. "What time did this happen exactly?"

Danny has it in him to grimace as he reclines on the tree truck. He knows Sam and Tuck don't really like it when he goes out on his own, but he's adamant about them making their curfews. But, he's also a really bad liar, so there's no point in trying to get out of this. "Uh, 3? Maybe?"

"Danny!"

The two disproving looks make his cheeks flame. "Well it's not like I could ignore him. And it was the Box Ghost first. Skulker showed up after."

Sam gives a long-suffering sigh at his nonchalance. "Ugh, heroes."

"Right?" Tucker chimes before entering something else into his PDA. "Alright, Skulker's status is updated to 'GZ' again. I'd say he won't be back in a week, since he usually slinks back to Ember to lick his wounds. But dude, you can let your parents handle some of the night ghosts. It's literally their job- they wouldn't _mind_ waking up."

Danny moves to scratch his chest before remembering Jazz's persistent nagging. "I know. It's just- Mom and Dad aren't that good at being ghost hunters. Like, alone they're great. Mom could kick anyone's butt and Dad is pretty spot-on with weapons when he focuses. But when they're together they get excited and they mess up each other's shots and make themselves targets. I can't just leave them alone at night."

"Their. _Job_."

"Which they kinda aren't good at." Danny shoots back. "Besides, they can hardly handle the Box Ghost on a good day, and they're only just getting accustomed to the regular ghosts. Imagine if they tried to fight the new guys that have been rolling in lately. Like that one guy who had a lightning sword?"

Sam frowns thoughtfully. "He _was _pretty tough…"

"Exactly!" Danny says. "Alone and properly prepared, they could probably handle him. But since they always hunt together, they become liabilities. And that's just one example. We've been getting all sorts of visitors since I became King."

Tucker blows a raspberry. "You're not even the real King- which I don't even_ get_ by the way."

"You know I don't want to be King, Tuck." They've had this conversation several times and at this point it's basically just habit. "The Ghost Zone doesn't need one and I've still got a life over here-"

"Half of one."

"-So I'd rather not deal with all their crazy problems. Having the Observants breathing down my neck is bad enough. The challengers are more of a constant annoyance at this point."

"I don't get how they think they'll ever beat you." Sam says flippantly. "They're sort of cocky."

Danny takes his water back from her and chugs it. "Don't jinx me. They've been getting tougher lately. I think that I scared off the easy guys and the stronger ones are starting to come in now. We're getting, like 40 a week."

"Yeah, and that's excluding the ones you 'forget to mention'." Sam gives him a pointed look, which he purposefully ignores. "I'm on to you, Danny."

"Don't worry about it, Sam."

"You know that by saying that, you're just gonna make me worry more, right?"

Tucker, in an attempt to lighten the situation and get some heat off of Danny, coughs a quick, "Lovebirds."

"We aren't lovebirds!" The lovebirds yell in tandem. Tucker snickers.

"Already synced up to each other. How romantic."

The previous conversation is aborted for more sputtering, until Danny's ghost sense goes off. He sighs and stands.

Sam and Tucker both whip out Fenton Phones and clip them on so that they aren't visible, Sam's behind her hair and Tucker's under his beret. They're easier to hide now with Tuck's new designs- they're nothing more than tiny buds. Danny catches his when they're tossed to him and makes quick work of it.

"Call us if you need back up."

"I will."

"And don't die." Tucker says before pausing and rethinking. "Er, all the way, at least."

An eye roll. "Yeah, thanks Tuck. I'll try not to."

Sam finishes scoping out the area. "Tree's clear. Go for it, ghost boy."

Danny Fenton ducks behind the tree and Danny Phantom leaves the scene flying.

"_Heroes_." Sam says again.

"I know."

* * *

"You're late, Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer glances up from his desk to find Danny Fenton in the middle of sneaking into class. "Twenty minutes late, in fact. That will be three days of detention."

Danny forgoes the attempt to sit down and slinks forwards towards the front of the room to receive his pink slip. Lancer frowns as the young man takes the slip, ignoring the snickering of his peers without so much of a batted lash.

Danny's behavior is unusual, at best. Freshman year, he had been so full of promise- his grades were the best in the class, he had been friendly and open, he had been so _excited_ to learn- but after his leave of absence from school due to an accident in the Fenton's lab two years ago, he became a slacker with blatant disregard for his academic standing and closed himself off to his small circle of friends.

That's not really the strange part, though. Mr. Lancer has seen many students in his years of teaching, and he knows that some of them start well and then burn out suddenly. No, the strange part is that Danny's not a bad kid. He doesn't undermine his authority, he doesn't backtalk him, and he doesn't cause trouble. In fact, his only offenses are his tardies and the bathroom breaks he takes and never returns from, and even when he's punished for them he seems to take his detentions with this air of resignation, as if they're unavoidable. In every other regard he's average, almost as if he's trying to make himself seem as unremarkable as possible.

At first Mr. Lancer thought it was some strange prank- something that would be grown out of. But after conferencing with the other teachers, he'd discovered that Danny does the same thing in all of his classes, and has been doing so since the accident. Something just doesn't add up.

He knows Danny can easily ace his classes if he really wants to; the boy is very bright when he applies himself. He would know- he's been in charge of Danny's detentions from the very beginning, and he's made sure that the boy studies during his time there. Whenever he actually shows up and doesn't leave, he shows spectacular intelligence and an aptitude towards learning. So, why doesn't he show that skill in class?

He ponders this as reaches Danny's test and begins to grade it. Is it bullying? Well, Danny had reportedly been bullied since middle school, but it never really affected his grades before. Home trouble? Mr. Lancer nearly snorts at the thought. The Fentons are eccentric and a bit distracted for sure, but they love their kids. Gangs? Danny is much too smart to get involved in such things. Drugs? No- the boy seems to exude this sort of sharpness of the mind that would be dulled under the influence.

But, what else can it be?

He looks up again and his eyes automatically seek out Danny's form. His black mop of hair tumbles over the surface of his desk as he sleeps, and Lancer doesn't really have the heart to wake him up and punish him. What's the use of more detentions when he doesn't even know the problem?

Mr. Foley and Ms. Manson share glances over their friend's shoulder and it becomes apparent to Mr. Lancer that they know exactly what is going on. The two are fiercely protective of Danny, so it heartens Mr. Lancer that they're aware- after all, if it was something really serious, they'd certainly tell.

Hopefully.

He's been worrying about Danny during much of his free time over the past two years- it's become a near constant niggling. There's something else there, he knows. But, what? He wants to write it off as normal teenage problems but something nags at him, like there's a plot twist coming up he's not prepared for because he hasn't been reading closely enough. He's missing _something_, and he hates the feeling because if anything, he's a brilliant reader.

He pushes aside the thoughts for now and focuses on grading his papers. Danny's is moved into the complete pile with a rare B+ on top. The next name that greets him is Dash, and he grimaces at the sight of it. This one isn't going to be pretty.

As he marks the questions wrong- he hardly has to look, because he knows a majority of them _are_- his eyes drift to another paper. In his rush to get from one end of the building to another- working in three departments does have its downsides- he hadn't even glanced at it.

He sets his pencil down and lets curiosity carry his fingers. What he finds makes him nearly drop the paper.

A few months back he had put in a request with the school board- more of a wish list little note than anything. His goal was to raise awareness for the school's new Ghost Studies department, which would be debuting next fall. However, the magnitude of his request left many logistics to be debated upon, and ultimately a decision from the mayor himself. He hadn't imagined that it'd actually be _accepted_.

He springs up in his seat when the full realization hits him. "Lord of the Rings!" Forget these tests- his proposal was _accepted!_

A few students glance at him with a lazy curiosity. He cannot find it in him to chastise them for wasting their study period. He can't find it in him to be angry at Mr. Foley for fiddling with his silly PDA or annoyed at Miss Manson for painting her nails black in the back of the class or irritated with Miss Sanchez for blatantly texting Mr. Baxter who is only a seat away- he can't even find it in him to be upset that Mr. Fenton is sleeping again. He can't find it in himself to be anything but ecstatic.

"Miss Manson, please wake Mr. Fenton. I have exciting news!" His tone of voice, he supposes, loses him more attention. Whenever an adult is excited about something, he's learned that teenagers tend to tune out. So, loudly, he adds, "It involves _Danny Phantom_."

Twenty-four pairs of eyes snap straight to him, excluding Danny Fenton's, who has only just woken from his nap with a bleary gaze. Sam Manson leans over the aisle- an excusable action for now- and whispers to him urgently. Mr. Lancer is heartened- he wouldn't have thought Sam would be moved by the excitement as well. Danny, caught up on current events, stares straight forward, expression alert and, what Lancer assumes is, eager.

He smiles- now that he has a captive audience, he can share.

"Through a generous grant by Mayor Masters," Funnily enough, Danny's eyes widen now in what Lancer can only interpret as worry. That nagging feeling in his stomach bubbles up again, but he presses it down and insists that he must be misreading the air. After all, he's saying nothing but good things. "Our class has been given a wonderful opportunity! Next week, we will join Mr. and Mrs. Jack and Maddie Fenton, acclaimed ghost hunters, on a trip to the Ghost Zone!"

The class bursts into cheers and Lancer allows himself to feel a bit smug. That'll teach those teens to doubt how hip he is. Maybe next time they'll actually listen when he's talking in class.

Unbidden, his eyes stray to Danny Fenton, curious as to if his news has lifted his spirits. What he finds, though, is another strange reaction that simply piles up atop that strange feeling.

Danny is banging his head against his desk.

* * *

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Yeahh I don't know? ?

This story will be continued. You know, eventually. Well, I've already got four chapters written out, so we'll see. The first few chapters are mostly for the purpose of establishing what the fuck's going on and how the characters are feeling and stuff- later on it'll be more action and stuff I dunno.

Also, when it comes to Vlad, I tend to enjoy some stories where he's as fruitloopy as he was in the show, and some where he's nicer to Danny and acts as like some older manbro. In this story, he's a total fruitloop. I don't know if I should apologize.

Well, for the most part, I hope you guys like it :) It's my first multi-chapter story, though, so have mercy!

(This chapter has been revised! I'll have the next few up in 3-4 weeks and then get restarted on the actual story!)


	2. Of Friends and Former Foes

**Summary:** Of Friends and Former Foes (Or: Sam is always right.)

**Rating:** T

**Pairing:** Some sprinkles of Amethyst Ocean in there

* * *

Sam knows she has to diffuse the situation when Danny's eyes start literally _sparking _green.

As cool a power as laser eyes are, the park is not the place to discover them. He's already scaring off a few moms, who're grabbing their children and pulling them a safe-distance away from Danny's evil glare of doom. Besides the fact that he has the whole 'secret identity' thing to keep, he kinda needs that paper.

"Danny," She touches his arm and rolls her eyes when he doesn't acknowledge her. He continues to stare at the permission slip as if it's gravely offended him. She groans. "Danny, glowing green eyes aren't exactly subtle. Stop it."

He blinks as if coming back to himself, and the sparks stop. Tucker snickers to the right of them, fiddling with his PDA as he sits in the grass. Danny glances around almost habitually, taking in the few suspicious stares aimed in his direction, and ducks his head. Then, he looks at her.

"Sorry." He says, rubbing his eyes and stretching to his full length. He really shot up the summer before sophomore year, only a few inches under Tucker in height, and he's filled out muscle-wise due to his ghost fighting. It's quite an impressive sight to see when he truly relaxes, because his whole body seems to unravel, long limbs dangling and tension rolling away in waves.

"Don't be." Sam replies, smirking slightly. "Looks like your laser eyes are kicking in."

The reaction is instantaneous- Danny's face brightens exponentially, and his eyes glitter with childish amazement. It's a refreshing expression, given how tired he's been lately. "Really? I've got_ laser_ eyes now?"

Tucker snorts. "Not yet, dude. Just some sparks. But I'll be sure to put it down in your file as a development."

"Yeah, do that." Danny nods vigorously, his lips betraying a trembling smile. He's practically vibrating with excitement, and Sam can tell- the last time he got this worked up was when he teleported for the first time. In fact, Danny's powers have been really kicking in lately, with new ones discovered every week. Whenever they ask Clockwork if this is normal, he simply smiles that mysterious, all-knowing smile at them and sends them on their way after chatting casually with Danny for a while.

According to the Guys In White Ecto-Entity Files- Tucker hacks them regularly- Danny was a 7.26 on their power scale, which is a log scale set in powers of ten, eight months ago. The most recent reading, which was two months ago, said he's a 7.97. To put it frankly, Danny is nearly ten times stronger now than he was half a year ago- possibly even stronger than that, given the fact that the most recent reading was a while back. No other ghosts in the files have shown that kind of growth in power. The trio considered the possibility of it being related to his halfa status, but they've hacked Vlad's file, which shows that his growth has been essentially plateaued for over four years- he's stuck at 8.05.

Basically, Danny's powers are growing and show no signs of stopping. He'll overtake Vlad soon, if he hasn't already.

This information, however, usually causes more harm than good. Ghosts hunt him down because he's the "king", but even ghosts who are unaware of his status are attracted to Amity by his power. The thought of growing stronger also causes him to think about Dan a lot, no matter how much he tries to tell Sam and Tucker that he's over it. Sam knows Danny, and she knows that while he's come to terms with his evil self and has essentially grown to be a better person after learning what one mistake can do, he's still terrified of becoming him. Sam wants him to see what she and Tucker see- a hero with an iron will and a heart of gold. Dan turned evil because his humanity was literally ripped out of him and what little morals he had left were overpowered by Vlad's ghost half. But, Danny's still so shaken by the idea. It's like being afraid of the dark or monsters hiding under the bed- it's irrational, but still a tangible, heavy fear. He's scared of _himself_, and the fact that he's growing stronger does nothing to stop the fear of hurting others from festering.

That's why it makes Sam happy when Danny is excited over his strength, instead of scared of it. This childish wonder tells her that he's okay. That even when it seems like he's not okay, he is.

"So, your newest powers this month are teleportation, that weird aural burst that you used once against Desiree, and laser eyes. And we're only two weeks in!" Tucker exudes enthusiasm, and it relaxes Danny, who grins indulgently. Life in the park resumes around them, and Sam breathes a sigh of relief as she scoots back under the shade of the tree they're loitering by.

"Well, that aural thing was probably a one-shot deal. It takes a lot out of me, and it only works when I'm mad or freaked or something." Danny says humbly, reclining on the grass so his head lays perpendicular to Sam's feet. "The teleportation's also really tricky- if I don't focus really hard, I end up on the opposite side of town."

Sam smirks. "Feels like the first month all over again, doesn't it?" The group shares an amused, nostalgic silence as they think back to their misadventures two years ago when Danny first stumbled out of the portal. Sam finally speaks again. "Anyway, I think you should jot down 'depends on emotions' for the laser eyes, too. They only started sparking when Danny was contemplating the murder of his permission slip."

Danny lazily rolls onto his side, expression taking on a mask of offense again. He glares at the paper lying on the grass next to him with contempt. "Right. That." He frowns. "What are we gonna do about that, anyway? Vlad's obviously planning something."

"Well, yeah, but what?" Tucker interjects as he finishes sorting out Danny's file. He pockets his PDA and stares up at the clouds. "If it's the usual 'kill your dad, marry your mom, and make you an evil apprentice scheme', why the whole class? He could just knock your dad into the Ghost Zone while he's in the lab alone- it'd look like a total accident. Plus, he doesn't even want you a son anymore- he gave that up when you stabilized Dani."

Sam hums in thought, glancing over at Team Phantom's leader. "Well, what else could he want?"

"The way I'm looking at it, there are a few possibilities." Danny says with an air of strategy to him. Clockwork's doing, Sam's sure. "One is the classic kill my dad, marry my mom, and have me as an apprentice scenario. Two is world domination. And three is to make my life miserable." He pauses. "For the first one, he could be meaning to kill my dad on the trip, swoop in in human form and save my mom, woo her, marry her, thus making me his son- whatever. It's just the same usual plan in another setting, but I don't think that's really it. He could kill dad and make it seem like an accident, just like Tucker said, which involves less work and elaborate planning. Plus, again, he doesn't really want me as a son anymore- I think he wants me as some sort of weird guardian-frenemy thing. We mostly just fight now. Probably not his course of action here."

Danny frowns thoughtfully, continuing. "The third one is basically the motive towards all his plans. On the trip, he can cause all sorts of trouble. But, why the Ghost Zone? It puts my secret on the line, and his secret is my secret. If I get revealed, he does, too, and he doesn't want that. Unless… Unless he's finally snapped and stopped caring…" Danny trails off, shuddering. "But, I don't want to think that. The day he stops caring is the day he really turns evil."

Sam and Tucker nod in solemn agreement, and Danny speaks. "That leaves option number two: he's cooking up trouble and he doesn't want me around to screw up his plans. I'm hoping he's learned his lesson on awakening evil overlords from the whole Pariah Dark incident, but you never know with Vlad. Whatever it is, it's big if he's giving me a class-sized distraction."

"We gotta find a way to stop your parents from having the trip, then." Tucker says seriously. "What if Vlad really _is_ off his rocker and plans to kill us all? Or, more likely, what if he tries to start another invasion or screws around with some old evil artifact? We need to be in town."

"We also have to be with the class." Danny sighs in resignation, and Sam notes that he deflates. "My parents are going to be too hyped up about going to the Ghost Zone to listen to reason. Dad's gonna be too hung up on _Vladdy_ giving him such a cool opportunity and even if Mom doesn't trust Vlad, her scientific side won't let this go to waste. A trip to the Ghost Zone as Ghost Hunters? It's a dream come true for them." His tone turns bitter. "Plus, the school board'll do anything_ Mayor Masters_ tells them to, so they won't cancel the trip. We can't skip if the class goes- if we stay behind he may use them as hostages or do something to them. We have to stay with them. We're stuck."

Sam spends a few moment mulling over this. Danny covered a lot of bases in his explanation, and there seems to be no obvious way out of this besides destroying the Ghost Portal, but that could have horrible effects. If Vlad ends up having the only functional portal, he'll let every single malevolent ghost in the Ghost Zone through to fight Danny, and they'd have no way of sending them back short of busting into Vlad's lab, which none of them are very keen on.

"Okay." Sam says suddenly. "But you have to tell Valerie."

Tucker and Danny gape at her and simultaneously cry, "_What?_"

"Think about it," Sam says exasperatedly, "If something goes south, we need to make sure Valerie's shooting for the right side. Or, at least, that she's aware of what's going on and chooses the lesser of two evils. Something's going to hit the fan, Danny, and we can't have her making our job harder."

"S-So, you're- you're telling me to- to-" He sputters helplessly for a moment before collecting himself into semi-coherency. "You want me to tell her the truth? _Everything?_"

Sam crosses her arms. "Just the important parts."

"B-But it's been two _years_, Sam." Danny ogles her owlishly. "We're good friends again, and even if she's been laying off Phantom… If she finds out my secret now-"

"It's because she's started to lay off Phantom that you should tell her!" Sam's eyes turn to steel. "How do you think I've felt, watching her shoot at one of my best friends for the past two years? She doesn't know any better, sure, but she still did it. But now, she's stopping. Something's up- her mindset's changing. She's been hesitating to shoot you since she let you go after stabilizing Dani a year ago. There's a chance we can finally get her on our side. She won't _hate_ you, Danny. She could _never _hate you."

And she means it. Not only is Danny one of the nicest people in Amity Park- if not the world- but Valerie also continues to consider him as one of her best friends. Also a plus, she's been backing off of his Phantom side as of late. Instead of her usual shoot-now-ask-questions-later style, she's been watching and observing more. _Thinking_ more. And thinking means that she's swaying, and swaying means that Danny has a good chance of getting a positive reaction when he tells her the truth.

He just needs to see that.

Danny's expression is stormy, but thoughtfulness wins out over the feuding emotions. He breathes in and exhales his worries through his nose. "I'll think about it." He settles on, which means yes in Danny-language. Sam smirks victoriously, reveling in her own intelligence. As it should be.

"Just make sure to do it before next week, the sooner the better." She says. "She'll need time to think things over, probably."

Danny nods numbly, and Tucker whistles. "Woah, boy. Things are going to get interesting fast."

Danny nods again. "Tuck, I'm going to need you to hack Valerie's tech before I talk to her."

"What?" Sam stares at him incredulously. "Danny, she's not going to shoot you!"

"It's not that!" Danny protests, pulling himself into a sitting position. "I just don't trust Vlad's tech. For all I know, he's got mic and a self-destruct setting in there. I don't want to risk Val getting hurt while telling her."

Sam marvels at Danny's thought process for a second before nodding. "Alright, I guess that's fine. But, don't mess with anything else, Tucker. Her suit needs to be in top shape if she's gonna help us."

"You make it sound like she _is _going to help us." Danny smiles slightly, obviously goaded on by Sam's confidence. The goth fiddles with her ponytail, shrugging.

"She's not bad." Sam says. "And, I think she'll understand. Val is stubborn, but she knows when to let go of something. She'll get it."

"I hope so." Danny sighs, scratching his neck irritably. "Ugh, this whole trip is a mess. I really can't deal with this right now- I'll go insane!"

Sam looks at Tucker pointedly and Tucker rolls his eyes. "No. No way."

"Come on, Bad Luck Tuck." Sam grins. "You could get a ghost over here easy."

"I hate that name! And no! I don't have magic ghost attracting powers or anything."

Sam stares at him insistently and he sighs.

"_Oh_," He says theatrically, "If _only _Danny had _someone _to take this out on."

And, living up to the Bad Luck Tuck name, Danny's ghost sense goes off and a man in poofy medieval garb touches down a few feet away from them, tossing a sword towards Danny before unsheathing his own.

Tucker palms his forehead. Repeatedly.

"Sir Phantom!" The ghost cries with a flourish, pointing the tip at Danny. "I challenge thee to a duel for thy honour as king!"

Danny glances around briefly to make sure no one is watching before cracking his knuckles. He stands, and the rings surround him and change him midway through the action of grabbing the sword.

"Hello, misplaced aggression."

* * *

Madeline Fenton is pleasantly surprised when her son comes home at around four o'clock with his friends, looking very pleased with himself.

"Hi there, kids." She says cheerfully as she scrapes her ecto-cookies from the pan onto an awaiting plate.

"Hi, Mrs. Fenton." Sam and Tucker reply.

"Hi, Mom." Danny says merrily, kicking off his shoes.

Maddie smiles. "You look happy, Danny."

Sam and Tucker snicker behind their palms and Danny's face brightens with mischief. "I managed to shelf a lot of stress today."

"Well, that's good." Maddie blinks as Sam and Tucker's snickering turns into full-blown laughter. Danny smiles sheepishly at his friends, and his hand goes up to scratch his neck automatically. She hears Sam whisper something to Tucker that sounds suspiciously like "misplaced aggression" but thinks nothing of it. The trio's always been tightknit, and they say plenty of things Maddie just can't bring herself to understand. "Oh, speaking of good: Have you three heard the news?"

The laughter tapers out quickly. Danny's bright mood seems to dissipate. His smile turns forced. "Right. Trip to the Ghost Zone. Fun."

Now, Maddie has not deluded herself into thinking that Danny is anywhere remotely interested in the family business, but his lack of enthusiasm still stings her a little. Whether or not he likes it, ghosts are Maddie and Jack's passion. Their livelihood. Jazz accepted that before graduating and even participates in some hunts (though, she's still a rookie, poor girl, always knocking into them and ruining their shots), but Danny still seems to be embarrassed by his parents' job.

She paints on a smile of her own to hide her slight hurt. "That's right!" She chirps, finally getting caught in the excitement again. "A trip to a whole new dimension! Imagine what you kids will see- you'll be the some of first people in the world to really_ visit_ the Ghost Zone!"

"Mom?" Danny asks with the tentative caution of someone voicing a question he already knows that answer to. Maddie turns her attention to her son. "Have you ever… actually been to the Ghost Zone before? You know, besides the whole Pariah Dark thing?"

Maddie pauses, embarrassed. "Well, no." She admits, before quickly adding, "But we're still expert ghost hunters! Those ghosts won't mess with us while we're there, and if they do, we'll blast them!"

Danny mutters something like, "That's what I'm afraid of," and grimaces. Maddie hides a frown of her own. Why is Danny always like this when it comes to ghosts? He's such a bright, happy boy otherwise- well, lately he's seemed a bit tired, but nothing major. But, whenever Maddie and Jack try to show him a new invention or try to rope him into hunting with them, he draws into himself and refuses outright. It's not that there's a rift between them, per say, but it's almost as if there's one last final bridge Maddie's not able to cross. She wonders why.

"Anyway, Mom, you need to sign the permission slip." Danny sighs, holding the paper out to her distastefully as if it's done him some great offense. Maddie bites back a sigh and nods.

"Got it, sweetie." She pulls out a pen with a little ghost bobble on the cap and takes the paper, not even reading it as she signs her name in precise, quick letters. She's the chaperone, after all, and there's no way she's letting her baby boy get hurt on this trip. "Here you go."

Danny shoots her a small smile as he grabs the paper back. "Alright, Mom- Tuck, Sam, and I are going to be in my room. Oh, and if Jazz comes home, can you tell her to head up there, too, please?"

"Sure, sweetie." Maddie smiles. At the very least, something to be grateful for is the fact that Danny has grown close to Jazz over the past few years. They always fought before, but now they act like they're always sharing in some big secret. It makes Maddie happy that at least her kids are open to each other, even when they're not open to her.

She watches as Danny and his friends retreat upstairs, waiting until they're completely gone before turning back to her plate of cookies. She wishes she could know what Danny's been up to recently. After his little shock from Ghost Portal two years ago, his grades dropped and he became so secretive… He's still as nice and polite as always, but he always looks on edge. She's a ninth degree black belt and even_ she_ feels at ease in her own home; Danny, though, Danny doesn't. She's seen the boy scan a room like he's looking for enemies and whenever they go somewhere new he automatically looks for escape routes: doors, vents, windows, you name it.

That's the habit of a professional assassin.

Not that she thinks her son is an assassin, but still, his behaviors suggest something of the sort. Something major. Something that's putting her baby in danger constantly.

"Oh, Danny," She sighs quietly. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

An explosion rocks the building and Jack Fenton's startled yell carries from the basement. Shaken out of her thoughts, Maddie grabs her cookies and rushes towards the door, fully ready to kick butt and nurse her husband's ego, if necessary.

* * *

Two hours later, Team Phantom lounges lazily in Danny's room, each in various states of disarray. Danny hangs upside down from the side of his bed, Sam sits in his window sill, Tucker sits up against a drawer, and Jazz lies belly down on the carpet.

"Ten modified Specter Deflecters?" Jazz calls, consulting a list.

Danny says "Check" as he turns his backpack invisible to bare the contents.

Tucker rolls his eyes. "You have to actually count, dude."

Danny grumbles something under his breath as he does, still upside down. "Check."

"Okay, four thermoses?"

Sam quickly looks through her backpack. "Got 'em."

"Four personalized Fenton Phones?"

Tucker produces them from a pocket and counts them. Instead of the usual green, they are black and white. "Yep."

"Twenty regular Fenton phones?"

"Got those, too."

"And everyone has a wrist ray and a lipstick blaster?" At three simultaneous nods, she sighs in relief. "Well, I've got the Ghost Peeler, the Booo-merang, and four first-aid kits. Sam has a few ecto-guns, right, Sam?" Sam raises a dark brow and smirks, suggesting she has more than a _few_, and Jazz shudders. "Never mind. Tucker has four PDA's-"

"Five, including Shannon!"

"Right, five including Shannon." Jazz gives the list an appraising once-over. "Anyway, I think we're set for next week. Any objections?"

The teens shake their heads. None.

"Glad you're coming, Jazz," Sam stuffs her impressive arsenal back in her bag after using it to scare Tucker. "We need someone with some actual brains around here."

Danny and Tucker both take obvious offense to that, but don't have the chance to speak before Jazz does. "Well, I asked Principal Ishiyama if I could go on the grounds that you guys might 'need help adjusting to the new environment'. She ate it up, and is going to put it in the bi-weekly report she's writing to the Harvard reps."

"Woah," Tucker says, grinning. "Jazz Fenton's lying, now?"

Jazz scowls. "Well, I can't exactly tell them that my brother is a half-ghost superhero and that I have to help him make sure his arch nemesis isn't going to try to take over the world. Again."

"Speaking of all that," Tucker straightens up, "What do we do about the whole secret identity thing?"

Danny smiles slightly. "No life is worth any secret. If things go south, we work from there. We can't afford to withhold information."

"At the very least we're gonna have to tell them we've been to the Ghost Zone before," Sam pipes in as Danny grimaces.

"Right." He says, "My parents are gonna freak."

"They'll learn to deal when we lead them out alive." Tucker huffs, puffing his chest out proudly. "But, I say Danny's in charge when things go sour- he's been in there the most anyway."

"Not because I wanna go!" Danny protests, throwing his hands upwards- which, to him, happens to be towards his door. "I'm either kidnapped or the Observants and the council ask for me. The only time I willingly go is to visit my friends or my keep, but I don't exactly make a habit of stopping to examine the scenery."

"The Ghost Zone_ reacts_ to you, Danny." Sam rolls her eyes. "You're king now, remember? For whatever reason, whenever we go there you always seem to know exactly where we are and who's around."

Danny blinks and it becomes apparent that this didn't occur to him. "Seriously? Woah. I thought I was just getting better at guessing."

"Your observational skills slay me." Sam sighs. "Anyway, haven't you ever noticed how the ectoplasm in the Ghost Zone acts when you're around? I think it's a _part_ of you now. Or, at least, it recognizes you as the king."

"Weird." Danny pulls a face, thinking. "But I guess it makes sense. Sometimes rock paths start forming for me on my own before I start flying. It always knows where I wanna go."

"That's awesome!" Tucker starts tapping this newfound information into the PDA. "Dude, if anything goes wrong, that'll really help us out! You're totally the leader now."

"Seconded." Jazz chimes at the sight of Danny's glare.

"Agreed." Sam sweeps her palm with a flourish. "It's decided. Danny's the leader. No objections."

"Uh, I have an objection!" Danny cries, but is ignored.

"Anyway, dude," Tucker says as if Danny never spoke. "I think that since we're set, you should go talk to Val now."

Danny somersaults off the bed and sits up, staring incredulously at Tuck. "Now? It's almost dinner time, Tuck- I don't wanna bother-"

"If you put it off anymore, you're not going to do it," Tucker says accusingly. "Go do it now, Danny. I've already managed to remotely hack her tech- you were right, there was a bomb in there. Vlad wasn't messing around when he invented that suit." When Danny's expression darkens, Tucker puts his hand up. "It's disabled indefinitely. When you tell her everything, tell her she can come to me to get it removed." Then, he adds, "It'll be okay, dude."

"I agree." Jazz chirps in her patented 'fink' voice. "Telling the truth in this situation will be good for you. It'll do wonders for your psyche, and-"

"I got it, I got it, no need to torture me!" Danny puts his hands up in front of his face to block the wrist ray Jazz throws at him. "I'm kidding, Jazz. I'll go, I'll go."

His sister smiles in satisfaction. "Good. Now, go."

He sighs and nods. "We'll be here when you come back, Danny!" Sam says as he transforms and walks towards the window. She rolls out of the way so he can fly through it. "It'll be fine, I promise!"

"We'll play Doomed when you're done." Tucker grins reassuringly. "Plus, don't worry- I might've kinda shorted out her guns temporarily. She couldn't destroy you even if she wanted to!" And as Danny disappears, he hears Sam yelling, "Tucker!" and thinks that everything will be fine.

Probably.

* * *

Danny Phantom is outside her window.

He is outside her window, flying back and forth, and mumbling to himself, apparently. She stashes away her homework and quirks a brow at him talking to himself. He seems to be giving himself a pep talk.

After another five minutes of hearing his muted babbling on the other side of her wall, she groans and throws open the window.

"Fenton, just get in here!"

The boy in question shrieks and falls a good three stories before remembering he can fly and stopping himself. Valerie watches on in exasperation as he floats back up to eyelevel and gapes at her.

"Did-" His voice cracks here. "-Did you just say _Fenton_?"

Her lips tug upward involuntarily. "Well, duh."

"B-But- you- I mean-" Her smile grows wider as he struggles with his words. Soon, it feels almost as if it's about to tumble off her lips.

She can sort of see why he's surprised. There are many times when she asks herself how other people can't tell who the Red Huntress is, and that's _with_ the full body suit. But, _honestly-_

"Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom. Face it, you never were that creative." She says and laughs at his expression. "Now, are you gonna come in so we can talk about this, or are you gonna stay out there all night? I'd choose soon- my room's getting drafty."

He nods absently, still ogling her like a new zoo exhibit. She allows her grin to simmer down into a smirk as he floats in- which is still weird no matter how acquainted she is with weird- and she flops onto her bed and pats the spot next to her. Danny, face trained into a visage of constipation, glides down slowly.

Her smirk calms down into a small, almost sad smile at the sight of his distance. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Danny."

"I-I know!" Danny cries almost too quickly. He ducks his head and a green flush crawls up his neck. "I'm just… Val, how did you know?"

She scoots a little closer to him and he finally settles down. She stares out her window and speaks. "We saved Danielle together. After that I started thinking you might not be that bad- I mean, anyone who saves a little girl like that can't be evil. But, then I started thinking about how similar you two are, and I started thinking about halfas, and…" She sighs heavily. "Black hair and blue eyes. It didn't take much thinking after that."

They sit in silence for a little while. "Oh." Danny finally says. "T-That makes sense, I guess. I mean… Val, I'm sorry."

"I forgive you. And I'm sorry, too."

Danny shoots her that little smile of his. "Apology accepted. I'm going to safely assume this means you won't be hunting me anymore…?"

Valerie laughs and the tension in the room breaks. "Nah. But, I think you've got some explaining to do." She gestures to all of him. "First of all, how did all of this happen? What _is_ all of this?"

Danny relaxes, evidently finding the hardest part of the conversation over. "I died." At her look, he waves his hand in front of his face. "Sort of. I mean, I died halfway. Do you remember when I was out during freshman year for that little shock I got from my parents' ghost portal?" She nods, and he scratches the back of his neck. "It wasn't just a little shock. " He grimaces. "I was _in_ the portal."

Her hand flies to her mouth and she feels sick. "You- But a voltage that high-" _Should have killed you_, she wants to say. But then she realizes that it did.

Now, she had had a good year to get used to the idea of little Danny Fenton being Danny Phantom. But, she hadn't really thought of the 'when's and 'how's. Suddenly it seems all the more real and the fact that she hunted him comes back to haunt her. She shudders.

"Yeah." He says quietly. His green eyes are kind. "A voltage that high should have killed me completely. But, from what Tuck's found out, the ectoplasm latched onto my DNA and preserved it. It kept me alive. The ghost powers came along with the fact that things can't just rearrange DNA without their being some changes. So, I'm half dead."

Valerie swallows and nods. The mention of Tucker Foley's name doesn't bother her so much, since the trio is a package deal and it's always been a given that he and Sam know. "Right. Sorry."

He shoots her a lopsided smirk. "It's fine, Val. Anyway, I'm sure you're wondering why I'm here-"

"The trip."

"Ah, so I guess you know why I'm here." He scratches his neck again. She watches the habit with a detached curiosity. He really is the same Danny. Half-dead, yeah, but still the same Danny. "To be honest, Sam and Tuck wanted me to talk to you. They said I had to make sure we're on the same page. So… I guess… Are we?"

Valerie chews her lip. Again, she'd had a whole year to mull over this and come to terms with it. But having it presented in front of her, real, inescapable, is really overwhelming her. Finally, she nods. "I… think so."

"Okay," Danny relaxes slightly. "Okay. Good. That- That's good. We're good."

"Yeah. Yeah, we're good."

Silence stretches between them and weighs on them, heavy and lingering. Danny huffs out a breath. "This is weird. Friends, right?"

Valerie sighs in relief. "Yeah. We've always been friends, Danny."

He smiles. "Good. Because I might just need the Red Huntress as back-up on this trip."

She knows it's said with good intentions, but she feels the need to reply. Maybe it's the fog that's still lurking over them and making everything all awkward, or maybe it's just that she wants to talk to him again like she used to, but she says, "Woah, hey, Fenton. I'm _no_ one's back-up."

"I didn't mean-" He pauses in his response before something in his eyes light up with happiness and mischief. Instead, he replies, "I'm just saying, suits and technology are always so _wishy-washy_. I mean, look at Skulker-"

She snorts and swats his arm to shut him up. "You did _not _just compare me to that walking tin-can."

"I didn't compare you to him, per say." He smirks, but it's a little too wide to be very serious. "I just said that your suit's more likely to fail than my awesome ghostly strength."

She crosses her arms and makes a show of narrowing her eyes. "Don't. Diss. The tech."

They both stare each other down before bursting into laughter. They muffle it when they hear the patter of Dad's footsteps approaching her door. "Valerie, are you talking to someone?"

The teens share a look. Valerie replies, "Just Danny Phantom, Dad."

Dad finds that funny enough, because he snorts before walking away. "Sure, Valerie."

Another look. Danny stuffs his face into her comforter to keep her dad from hearing him. She snickers as his face turns bright green from the strain. "God, you're like a walking glow-stick."

His laughter dissolves into a pout. "Shut up." The green grows brighter. She swats his arm and revels in the normalcy. It's a nice feeling to be able to talk to him again, no secrets.

Just then, a blue mist escapes Danny's lips- looking back on it, she can trace something similar happening each time Danny slipped out of class or disappeared. The Box Ghost's voice can be heard in the heart of the Amity, even through her thick wall. "Beware!"

"Ah, man," They moan in tandem.

"We'll talk more about the trip later, Val," Danny says irritably as he floats towards the window. Valerie hops to her feet.

"No way, Fenton. I'm handling this one." She smirks, closing her eyes and willing her suit to appear. She waits.

And waits.

Danny's voice comes to her, strained. "Right, about that… Tuck… may have shorted out your system…?"

Her eyes snap open just as he phases through her wall.

"_What?_"

"Bye, Val, see you later!" He blurts before disappearing. She stands there dumbly for a few seconds before throwing open her window.

"Fenton, get back here!"

* * *

Later on, Danny comes home to find his friends and sister in his room, talking. The minute he floats in, Sam's head goes up and she looks straight at him, taking in his sheepish smile and twinkling eyes.

With no hesitation, she says, "I told you so."

* * *

.

.

.

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Early-ish follow-up chapter? Hm, I don't know when the next one's coming out- I decided to change a few aspects of the chapters I already had done. I made some of the scenes too emotionally heavily and OOC, and I feel like it didn't match the characters or the mood I was trying to create for this story.

Well, I hope you like it anyway, guys!


	3. Of Feuds and Faith

**Summary:** Of Feuds and Faith (Or: Best friends kick butt together, but in different ways sometimes.)

**Rating:** T

**Pairing:** Some sprinkles of Amethyst Ocean in there

* * *

"Well, this is it."

Team Phantom and Valerie glance at him as he rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet, glaring at the Portal like _it_ assigned this field trip. The rest of the class clamors around their group, flitting around the lab, touching things that probably aren't supposed to be touched, and ultimately making a total nuisance of themselves. Dash Baxter has, of course, brought his mighty football, and in a spectacular display of complete and total lack of respect for authority figures, has taken it to pitching it across the room, over the bunch of explosive inventions Maddie has helpfully told them to avoid at all costs.

To be fair, his parents probably shouldn't have expected so much from these teenagers, nor should they have left the dangerous weapons out in their line of sight. But, it is what it is.

"Dude," Tucker throws his arm over Danny's shoulders. "It'll be-" He cuts off and reevaluates his sentence. "Uh, we're as ready as we're gonna get."

Sam adjusts the strap of her backpack and nods in agreement. "Yeah. Don't worry so much. We can handle this. We've got a whole bunch of weapons, and Tucker updated Valerie's tech. Vlad won't know what hit him."

"Plus, he doesn't know that I'm on your side or that I know his secret." Valerie's smile turns decidedly devious and hints with something just a twinge off the edge of sanity. "I can't wait to see his face before I blast him-"

"Easy there, tiger." Sam shakes her head and puts a hand on Valerie's arm. "I think we all agreed that Danny would have the first shot."

"Oh, definitely." Danny cracks his knuckles and his glare turns darker. "That fruitloop better hope I don't get my hands on him."

"Laser eyes." Sam and Tucker announce in unison, and Valerie snorts as Danny flushes red. He blinks the sparks away and rubs at his eyes, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Stupid laser eyes," He grumbles and crosses his arms moodily. Jazz giggles, though her stare is trained on the list she's holding. Danny rolls his now blue eyes. "Jazz, you've double-checked and triple-checked that thing. We're fine."

"I know," Jazz sighs, folding up the paper and pocketing it. "It just gives me something to do. That blond football player keeps looking at me and it's giving me the creeps."

Tucker, Sam, and Valerie laugh while Danny's expression goes south again. He pulls away from Tucker to spin Jazz and give her a thorough once-over. "Is he bothering you?" He asks protectively. "He hasn't touched you, right? Because if he has, I have no problems beating him up or _killing _him for you-"

"Danny. Danny!" Jazz shakes her brother's shoulders as their friends collapse in a fit of violent hysterics. "I'm fine, he hasn't touched me, and he hasn't bothered me. I think he just has a little crush on me is all. He's just looking. No need to worry. I can handle myself."

Danny, however, does not seem to really hear her. "I can gouge his eyes out if it's-"

"_Danny._"

The boy catches Dash taking another sly glance at his sister. There are sparks again. "I think I'm developing homicidal tendencies."

"Laser eyes." The three laughing teens manage to say, and Jazz shakes her head before covering her brother's face with her hands.

"Danny, you're going to reveal yourself at this rate." She clicks her tongue, the picture of maturity. "Let me handle this. If all else fails I can just chuck the Fenton Ghost Peeler at him."

The halfa seems to relax at this, because when he peels his sister's hands off of him, his eyes are blue again. "Promise?"

Jazz giggles at his pout and nods. "Promise. No one messes with a Fenton."

Just as Danny opens his mouth to reply that there are a lot of _dead _people who mess with the Fentons, Maddie Fenton lets loose a shrill whistle that commands the attention of everyone. Paulina Sanchez very dramatically throws her hands to her ears, whining irritably to her friends about 'loud putas', but Maddie pays them no mind. Instead, she opens her arm with a flourish the moment all eyes are on her.

"Well, hello there!" She says cheerfully, already decked out in full HAZMAT gear. Orange-clad Jack Fenton bumbles at her side, practically vibrating with excitement. "We'd like to welcome you to our home and congratulate you on being the first group of humans to ever take an expedition to the Ghost Zone!"

There's a collective cheer from all but five people, and Jack has to bellow to match the class's volume. "We'd like to explain a few rules!" He twiddles his thumbs and glances at Maddie. The woman smiles and nods.

"As you have probably read on the permission slip already, this field trip does have a few risks. However, you need not worry, since my husband and I are accomplished ghost hunters and can scare away any ghosts that come our way." Maddie puffs her chest out proudly and Danny has to bite back a chuckle. The ghosts in the Ghost Zone consider Jack and Maddie Fenton to be at the same level of threat as the Box Ghost. "Also, we will be travelling in a vehicle, so contamination will be of no concern to you." She gestures to the mass in the center of the room that she and Jack are standing next to. Jack, at her signal, enthusiastically pulls the sheet off of the invention, revealing a sleek, shiny vehicle.

Danny breathes a sigh of relief. Well, at least Jazz was right- what they were inventing last week was most definitely not a weapon. Well, probably. He doesn't even want to think about the anti-ghost measures they've stocked up on.

The 'Specter Speeder Bus' is similar to the smaller model in color, but completely different in frame. For all intents and purposes, it is a school bus, but the walls of the bus have been replaced with reinforced glass, allowing a full, 360-degree observational opportunity. There are about enough seats to fit the whole class generously, and several shiny buttons on the dashboard in the front show that it's boasting a full weapons arsenal.

Valerie lights up like a ghost huntress in an ecto-weapon store. When she catches Danny's eye, she smiles semi-apologetically, but shrugs as if to say 'old habits die hard'.

"This will be our transportation to and around the Ghost Zone. We don't know if the Ghost Zone has an atmosphere or not, so _do not_ for _any _reason break the glass." Maddie, oddly stern, stares right at Dash and his football gang. They squirm under her gaze, but try to make up for their discomfort by boasting.

"Heh, if anything goes wrong, Phantom'll come help us." Dash says confidently, thumping his chest with a fist. "Me and him, we're like _this_. If I'm in trouble, he'll come running."

Danny and the rest try to smother their laughter, because Dash will freak if he thinks that they're laughing at Phantom. Maddie frowns at the front of the class, shaking her head. "We better hope we don't run into any balls of ectoplasmic scum." She says. "This trip would do well to teach you how evil ghosts are. You can't put your faith in Inviso-Bill, because it's only a matter of time until he turns his back on us."

The class, evidently, does not take well to this warning, for some of them break out into proclamations of Danny Phantom's hero status, which sparks an argument between the masses and their chaperones. Mr. Lancer, for his part, tries to get both parties to calm down- but he's failing miserably.

Danny merely sighs at the back of the class and shrugs at his friends. Sam pats his shoulder sympathetically, and Valerie's eyes shine with past guilt. He shakes his head at her. "Honestly, it really doesn't bother me anymore," He says to her, his voice barely audible over the shriek-fest the argument has become. "I'm just glad people are sticking up for me."

Tucker smiles. "It'll be a shocker for them when they find out one day, won't it?"

"I'm hoping they never find out, actually." Danny grumbles, though he smiles wryly anyway. "But, I guess so."

"Let's get on the bus before your parents blow a gasket." Sam says, absently rubbing soothing circles on his arm. Danny simpers at her thankfully and Tucker, seeing this, coughs the word "lovebirds" under his breath, turning Danny bright pink and causing Sam to unleash hell's fury in a glare.

"We're not lovebirds!" They cry in unison, jumping away from each other. Val and Jazz make the wise decision to giggle and move on, but Tucker sticks around to get a boot thrown in his face.

Sam grumbles all the way to the bus about "brain-dead techno-geeks", not even realizing she's holding Danny's hand and dragging him along. Danny, on the other hand, notices. Really notices. Notices to the point that even Tucker's annoying grin is practically ignored in favor of _noticing_.

But what he can't ignore, however, is the way the little laser gun on the stop of the bus follows him religiously. He stops hesitantly, gesturing with his eyes when Sam stares at him inquiringly. She gets it immediately, slowing her steps so that they both gently ease into the gun's range.

It does not shoot.

They both breathe a sigh of relief, and Sam suddenly releases Danny's hand. Tucker, still smiling obnoxiously, practically shoves the couple into the bus, where they take their positions with red faces.

When the class and the Fentons finally notice the group getting on the bus, the argument dies out as they rush to follow. What they see when they get in, however, is most curious.

Danny Fenton sits at the back of the bus, completely alone. Samantha Manson and Valerie Gray sit in the center, one opposite of the other, both sporting window seats. Tucker Foley and Jazz sit next to each other in the front, Tucker taking the aisle. None of them speak to each other, nor do any of them acknowledge the class.

"Hey, Fentina!" Dash thunders over to the back. "You're in my seat."

Danny knows that he's supposed to be pretending to cower in fear at this point, but he knows that he can't afford to leave his position either. Besides, he's still a little peeved at the guy for ogling his sister.

"I'm not moving, Dash." He says firmly, shocking the teens and the chaperones. Maddie and Jack have never known their Danny to really stick up for himself and as far as Mr. Lancer knows, Daniel is terrified of Dashiel. The class, totally aware of the bullying poor Danny has to go through daily, is floored by the fact that the victim is standing up to the offender.

Dash is obviously thrown for a loop, because his mouth closes and opens a few times before he settles on sputtering a quick "Fentoenail!"

Sam rolls her eyes from her seat. "Sit down, Baxter. We wanna get going _today_, thank you."

Dash, blinking slowly, cannot seem to comprehend why all the nerds are back-talking him today. He sits down numbly, still staring right at Danny. The A-listers slowly file into their seats in the back, ogling the Fenton boy like he's some rare animal. Danny does not acknowledge them any further.

Instead, he stares right up into the red eyes of an invisible Vlad Masters.

His lips pull back into a snarl automatically, and remnants of blue mist curl into the air between them. Vlad's eyes upturn in a feral smile. In the front of the bus, Jack, now out of his stupor, drops into the driver's seat. Maddie begins to make a few last minute announcements.

The bus starts to rumble and the portal opens. Vlad disappears.

They move forward and the lab melts away, revealing instead a green sky filled with curious, floating doors. As the class gasps and marvels at the sights, Danny knows things are going to go south. Fast.

* * *

Time for the T-Man to make his appearance. He'll be slick, suave, smooth, and totally save the day.

He snorts to himself as he types a quick combination into his PDA. He's always cool. Saving the day is just a bonus.

The screen blinks off for a second before returning, bright and green. In the corner, a little Danny Phantom logo indicates a special page. His stylus taps it, and he's immersed in code.

It's practically child's play to hack the Specter Speeder Bus- the mainframe's basically the same as the regular Specter Speeder. When Mr. and Mrs. F find out about Danny's secret, he's really going to have to have a talk with them about tech.

"Jack?" Mrs. F's voice hints at concern. "Jack, what's wrong with the dashboard?"

Tucker doesn't have to look up to know that all the lights are flashing- his doing, of course. He promised Danny he could hack in, but he never said he could do it discreetly. Jazz shoots him a questioning look out of the corner of his eye, and he shrugs. What can you do, yeah?

He pockets the stylus and lets his fingers attack the keyboard. The class starts to catch wind of the bus troubles, and they titter nervously. Tucker doesn't really pay them much mind, though, because after a few more seconds his screen flashes bright green and the little Danny Phantom symbol blinks.

"Done." He says proudly to Jazz, who half-smiles and rolls her eyes at him. He makes good time, too, because the second he finishes, the bus rocks with an explosion, courtesy of the invisible Plasmius.

Several people scream, including Mr. Lancer- dude, he didn't even know male vocal chords could _reach_ that frequency- and the Fenton couple struggles with the locked wheel. Tucker shares a look with Jazz, who doesn't bat a lash. He undoes his seatbelt and pivots in his seat, catching Danny's sparking eyes. Those eyes turn blue again when he waves the PDA and nods discreetly. _I did my part_,he's saying.

Danny shoots him a small, grateful smile. _Thanks, oh great and amazing Tucker_, he's saying, _you've saved the day again_.

Okay, so maybe he's not saying that, but that's what he means, anyway.

The Fentons yell out a few pointless instructions to the class, telling them to brace themselves or whatever- as if that isn't common sense already. The sound of shrieking metal hits their ears and the emergency lights _finally_ turn on, a testament to Mr. F's bad programming. Tucker really needs to talk to him about that.

There's more yelling when the bus finally hits rock in what can only be described as the smoothest crash landing ever- thank you, thank you- and everyone's quick to rush the door to get out. Tucker pouts a bit. No one appreciates the T-man's work.

Sam and Val both pat him on the shoulder as they pass, and Jazz flicks his nose when she slips out of her seat. Danny grin is wide and he ruffles the beret when he says, "Thanks, Tuck."

"All in a day's work," He bows grandly, but feels something in him fill with a genuine happiness. He wonders if this is how Danny feels when little kids on the street call him a hero even when everyone else is calling him a villain. It's nice to be told 'good job' sometimes.

He follows his best friend out to find the entire class running around aimlessly on the rock path they're perched on. The A-listers try desperately to assure themselves that Danny Phantom will come save them, and Tucker bites back a snort. The only reason Danny'd save them is because he's too nice and has one hell of a hero complex. If they're putting stock in their popularity to get them out of this, they have another thing coming. They're not in Amity- out here, the geeks rule.

He turns to Danny and laughs at the discomfort on his face. "Problem with your Phans, dude?"

"Ah, stuff it, Tuck." Danny hisses, red crawling up his neck and settling on his cheeks. Danny's the go big or go home kind of blusher- turns into a stoplight when someone sets him off. Up until first grade, he used to have freckles, too, ones that stood out when he blushed. Shame they faded when they got older. Tucker lost a good cause for torture.

He instead focuses on the current outlet. Elbowing Danny swiftly in the ribs, he says, "Come on, man. At least enjoy it. The T-man has to live vicariously through you."

"I thought the T-man already had all the game in the world," Danny teases back.

Tucker adjusts his beret. "Well, I do. People just haven't been feeling it lately, that's all."

"More like they've never been feeling it ever." Sam's voice is smooth and smug. She appears to their right, the picture of relaxation. Out of the corner of his eye, he can see Mr. and Mrs. F approach the bus like it's gonna hiss at them.

"That's coming from the girl who can only seem to attract dead people."

She turns pink. "Aragon was a creep and Undergrowth didn't-"

"Count, I know. But I wasn't talking about_ them_." When Danny, clueless as ever, looks between the two of them, he decides to make it more obvious. Under his breath but not really under his breath, he coughs, "Lovebirds."

"We-"

"-Aren't-"

"_Lovebirds!_"

"And the Nile's just a river. Yeah, yeah." Tucker waves them off but inches away from Sam to avoid a hit with a boot. He opens his mouth to make another comment when his PDA buzzes. His smile drops and his brows furrow. "Dude, we've got a hit."

The bickering tapers out and Jazz and Valerie slip through the larger group and move towards them with a little prompting from Danny. Tucker clicks the little Danny Phantom symbol again and frowns.

"Your portal's gone."

"What?" Jazz cries and the other two girls stare wide-eyed at the map on the screen. Danny doesn't look that surprised. Jazz snatches Shannon out of his hands and he suppresses a low whine. No one ever respects the tech! "This is bad-_ really_ bad."

Well, duh. Tucker could've told her that the moment they were told they were having this stupid trip. Instead he says, "No kidding," and turns to Danny. "Alright, dude. Spill. What's he doing?"

Four expectant pairs of eyes go to Danny, and he sighs and scrubs at his hair. "Well, I think I know what he's doing, now. If I'm right, his portal's going to be off the map in a few seconds."

Sure enough, the PDA buzzes again and the little animatic that shows the location of Vlad's portal disappears, signaling that it's shut off. Tucker grabs Shannon back, typing in a few codes. The map zooms out, showing a larger section of the Ghost Zone. A helpful little blip tells them where they are- a few days walk away from Phantom's Keep, which, if the other portals are off, has the only reliable passage into the human world right now.

Valerie looks up at Danny slowly. "Danny, what's going on?"

Tucker doesn't even protest as his arm is yanked and he's pulled to edge of the rock path. No one else seems to really notice the group's mobility, and Tucker doesn't know if that should be insulting or not. Then again, everyone's still freaking out and the chaperones are trying to find out if the bus is salvageable, so maybe it's just that.

"Okay…" Danny trails off and sighs and rubs his neck and paces. The fidgeting tells Tucker that something's really wrong. Danny only gets like this when he's gotta lie up a storm or when a whole bunch of people are in trouble. "I don't really know why, but Vlad… He's making a mistake. A big one."

The air around them turns heavy. Whereas some people exaggerate, Danny has a talent for understatement. If he says something's big, it's _big_.

Tucker straightens up. "What's he doing, Danny?"

"He's…" Danny sighs again and closes his eyes like he's going to rip off a Band-Aid. "If I'm right, he's going to try and release Pariah Dark."

Dead silence hangs between them all before Tucker feels a shriek tear up his throat. Danny's hand slaps down on his lips and Jazz's, keeping them both quiet. Valerie sputters behind him for a few moments before practically screaming, "He's trying to _what_-?"

Sam does the same as Danny and covers her mouth, though she looks pretty shaken up, too. Tucker tries desperately to relax, but, well, Pariah Dark? Not a fun dude.

"Guys, try and calm down. If the class hears, they'll start freaking out even more." The four of them manage to nod. Danny peels his hands away and Sam does the same to Valerie. No one talks for a while.

"Why…" Tucker looks at Jazz, who clears her throat and licks dry lips. "Why Pariah Dark? Isn't that kind of 'been there done that' for him?"

"Last time he just wanted the crown for its power boost." Danny explains quietly, his eyes flickering about nervously. "This time he wants it for the title, too."

"Title?" Valerie says. "But you're the- _Oh_."

It hits all of them at that moment. Danny became king by sealing Pariah Dark. Plasmius can't beat Danny anymore because Danny always has allies with him. But, if Pariah were to rise again, he'd be the king again, too. And if Vlad were to reseal Pariah…

"Woah." Tucker mutters under his breath, kneading his temples. "Dude is a serious fruitloop."

"You're telling me." Danny replies dryly, half smiling. "Look, we just need to reach the keep before he unlocks the chamber we put Pariah in. How long should it take him, Tuck?"

Tucker pulls out his PDA purposefully, sliding the stylus and revealing another screen. He checks the security he set on the doors. "My encryptions are airtight, dude. It'll take him three days minimum to get through."

At this, Danny actually seems to relax. "Good. I think we can make it in time, even accounting for the speed of the class."

Tucker starts to think Danny's a little too optimistic about the situation, but shrugs. Whatever. He'll be the one in charge, anyway, so he'll set a pace that'll make them get there in time. Though, they should start moving _today_ if they want to make it.

As if reading his mind, Mr. F says, "Well, kids, it looks like we're walking."

"Walking?" Mr. Lancer flounders. Doesn't take much brains to realize the Fentons haven't really filled the poor guy in on much. "_Gulliver's Travels_- walking _where?_"

"Down this path." Mrs. F smiles with a mixture of nerves and sympathy for the poor teacher. "The bus is out of order and it's the only lead we have. Besides, to get home we need to find the evil ghost that attacked us first."

Tucker rolls his eyes at that before looking accusingly at Danny. Unsurprisingly, the ghost boy wonder makes no effort to take the leadership position.

"To be fair, the path is going to take them where they need to go anyway." Danny says innocently, putting his hands up. He's met with three glares and one sisterly disproving look, but still doesn't step up. In fact, he looks victorious.

"The _second _things get worse, it's on your head." Sam hisses before elbowing past him. Danny swallows and nods dumbly, and Tucker coughs something like "whipped" before fiddling with his PDA again. He slides the Phantom icon and opens what looks to be a castle layout. His stylus taps a small chamber in the top-left and the screen lights up with tiny, individual windows.

"Alright kids, stick together!" Mrs. F calls as she begins to mobilize them. Mr. F hoists a giant ecto-bazooka over his shoulder.

"Yeah, and if you see a ghost, just yell and we'll-" The bazooka whirs to life and misfires in a random direction. It hits a rock floating a few yards away and blows it to bits. "Do that…" He finishes lamely.

Tucker snickers as they begin to walk, not even glancing up from his screen- he's already mastered the art of walking without looking.

He feels Danny fall into pace next to him near the back of the group. Without preamble, he says quietly, "I'm beefing up security. It won't be much, but it'll be enough to annoy him. I can't do anything big wirelessly. I'll just try to counteract him when he gets in."

"That's fine." Danny thumps him on the back hard and he almost drops Shannon. "Thanks, Tuck."

"You can thank me by not trying to kill me and my tech," He pokes Danny in the side with his pen insistently, eyes still glued to the screen. "Not all of us are super strong like you."

"Sorry, Tuck." He can see Danny smile sheepishly out of the corner of his eye. "Sorry, Shannon."

"I forgive you. Shannon doesn't, though."

"Ouch." Danny laughs, and things almost seem a little less serious. "That stings."

"Eh, she's just holding a grudge. She'll get over it." Tucker replies lightly. It's easy to pretend the fate of the world isn't in danger when your best friend is Danny. "But, a few new accessories could win her over easier…"

"No way!" Danny elbows him. "We both know I'm broke. I can't handle Shannon's expensive tastes."

Tucker shrugs and adds another firewall. "Alright. But don't go getting mad if she 'accidently' shorts out later."

Danny puts a hand to his chest dramatically. "She wouldn't. Shannon loves me."

"Hey, don't go muscling in on my woman, Ghost Boy."

"Not his fault you just can't hold down a girl without tying her up with rope." Sam chips in flippantly as she and Val slow to match their pace. Valerie makes a sizzling sound.

"Ooh, I _felt_ that one."

Tucker grunts, and feels his cheeks tingle. "I should just disable the security_ for_ Plasmius. I bet he'd be nicer to me than you idiots."

"Double ouch." Danny holds his heart and pretends to stumble. "Try not to turn to the dark side yet, Tuck. We need your expertise."

"Damn right, you do." He puffs out his chest proudly. Finally glancing up, he spots Jazz's bright hair swish through the jittery teenagers, weaving forward. "What's Jazz up to?"

Sam blinks. "Ah, she's going to go calm down the Fentons. Try to convince them that shooting all the ghosts'll just cause problems."

"I think they'll understand." Danny pipes up, scratching his neck sheepishly. "Mom and Dad won't risk the whole class."

Tucker sees his friend's expression inch towards anxiety and nearly sighs. He doesn't understand why Danny won't tell his parents about his double-life- there've been, like, a bazillion timelines where they accepted him on the spot. Sure, they're scientists, but they're parents first. They love Danny.

He doesn't say that, though, because it's a little too emotionally heavy for a situation they're already making an effort to lighten. Instead, he says, "Chin up, Glow-stick."

Danny head whirls towards Val. "You told him to say that, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't, actually." Valerie smirks. "But, you know, great minds think alike."

They share a high-five behind Danny's back, enjoying the blush that brightens his cheeks. Sam hums thoughtfully. "You know, they're right. You sort of are a glow-stick. I wonder what else glows-"

Danny covers his face with his hands. "Oh, god, please stop."

The three laugh at their friend's expense. "I bet Sam would like to know all about those glowy parts-" He dodges the boot with good time, and Danny's hand shoots out to catch it before it falls off the edge of the path. "Ah, look at Prince Charming rescuing Cinderella's slipper. How romantic."

"Shut up, Tucker!" The two lovebirds cry. Their in-sync yell makes them look at each other before turning away, both bright pink. Ah, young love.

Tucker twirls his stylus between his fingers and mouths the word "clueless" to Valerie. She smirks and nonchalantly sticks her foot out in front of the distracted Danny. Despite years of ghost hunting, Danny's just a little too relaxed around friends- well, unless he's asleep- so he doesn't notice it and stumbles right into Sam.

The two of them squawk loudly as they fall to the ground, Danny on top of Sam. The entire class freezes and whirls to them, Mr. and Mrs. F whipping out the weapons in alarm. When they find Danny and Sam looking about ready to have a 'fake-out make-out', they stare.

Danny scrambles off of her quickly, and Valerie and Tucker share a discreet high-five at their good work. A snort cuts into the air and everyone's eyes go to Dash Baxter. His hand flies to his mouth and he seems as surprised at the sound as everyone else.

Slowly, the rest of the popular kids start to snicker, too, and before long an uneasy laughter passes through the masses. Tucker looks at his two best friends, who seem to have forgotten their anger amidst the change in airs. He decides it's a good thing people are finally starting to relax- Amity Park's citizens are masters at handling weird, and to have them so panicky was starting to get strange.

Mr. F misfires the bazooka again and they all quiet down. He scratches his head.

"Er, don't scare us like that again, Danny-Boy."

Danny smiles slightly, but his shoulders are doing the thing they always do when he's suppressing laughter. "I'll try not to, Dad."

Jazz, from her position up front, winks at them before steering her parents around and convincing them to put down the guns. Now revived, the class begins to marvel at the sights around them while gossiping about "geeky Fenton and the goth-chick." Danny and Sam share another look before grinning and shrugging. Tucker shakes his head at the two of them. _Such _lovebirds.

His PDA buzzes again and this time the screen flashes red. Three pairs of eyes go to him and he nods. "The fruitloop's in."

Danny half-smirks at him and it's a proud one. "He's all yours, Tuck."

Tucker cracks his neck and grins wickedly. It's been a while since he's had a chance to go all out. Tapping one of the little windows, he prepares for battle. It's the T-Man's time to shine.

* * *

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I wanted to add more snark and teenage sass in this chapter and I'm not sure I succeeded.

Also, thank you so much for all the follows, guys! It really means a lot to know this story has some readers!

I'll try to get the next chapter up in another... Hm... 2 weeks, maybe?


	4. Of Finesse and Foolhardiness

**Summary:** Of Finesse and Foolhardiness (Or: Three people reflect on how strange Danny Fenton is.)

**Rating:** T

**Pairing:** Some sprinkles of Amethyst Ocean in there

* * *

_Check_.

Vladimir Masters closes his eyes and revels in the vision of an invisible chessboard. His black queen conquers the opponent's knight, toppling it to the ground. His eyes open and there is a glint of triumph. The king is in sight of his rook.

He takes several large steps, making sure to avoid the bones of the skeletal warriors he's defeated. He just hasn't the _heart_ to destroy the poor creatures- they will, after all, be his army once he is king. The fact that Daniel insists on allowing them to roam the keep like actual citizens is blasphemous. The boy always underestimates the use of his chess pieces.

Vlad, on the other hand, is a master at the game. He knows what parts of the board to cover and which to leave open purposefully. The class, for example, is a well-placed pawn, set to protect his own king. He knows he can't defeat young Daniel before opening the door, but if the boy's a bit _distracted_, well, his odds are much higher.

It's all strategy. Something his poor little Badger could have learned, had he just accepted apprenticeship early on.

His lips turn down and his good mood sours. Well, that's all well and good anyway. When he is king, he'll just force Daniel to learn under him. And then, he'll take Maddie as his bride. His queen.

He thinks back to that bus he destroyed to strand Daniel. Such a shame he had to, given that it was surely his Maddie's brilliant work. The alarm system almost detected him, though twenty years of training has allowed him to learn to retain some of his power in human form. He had been able to turn invisible and intangible, after which he flew safely into the vehicles range to blow it up. He had even checked on Daniel, too. The boy has been getting much better at the scary eyes.

He doesn't doubt that all the children are alive and, while he hopes Jack will be an exception, the adults, as well. He wonders, though, if Daniel has already blown their secret. Not that it really matters to him- as king, it will be of no issue if people know he is half-ghost- but he can only imagine Daniel's dilemma. He almost feels bad. Almost.

After all, Daniel's morals and emotions are additional pawns that can be played and manipulated.

He sweeps through the halls in grand strides, taking in his victory. The entire castle is silent in his midst and it just adds to the effect of his opponent's defeat. He quite enjoys besting a challenger, however below him they are. He really will have to work on chess with the boy- his lack of foresight is nearly astounding.

He finally reaches the door, identifying it by the intimidating-looking metal. He knows that whatever it is is both human _and_ ghost-proof- Daniel would settle for nothing less, given the prizes inside. In that respect, he supposes there is a slither of wisdom, but only just. Daniel always has so many resources open to him, and hardly utilizes them at all. It makes Vlad sick to his stomach.

So, the electronic locks are most likely his silly companion, Tucker Foley's, doing. A decent use of a pawn, if Vlad does say so himself. But, it should still be child's play to get past a teenage boy's encryptions.

Producing a small laptop from his coat and inserting it into the input plug, he practically tastes the power he will gain. He will only open Pariah's case for a few mere moments- in that time, Daniel's kingship will technically be restored to its rightful owner. Then, he will snatch the crown from the coffin and wear it as its new master. After that, resealing the old king will be as simple as taking candy from a baby.

The screen lights up and his decryption program begins its work. His brows furrow for a moment- it's working slower than expected. Only 0.003% finished. Why, it should have gotten through instantly-

The progress bar jumps back to 0.002% and flashes red. Vlad's eyes widen as a new window jumps onto the screen. A little animatic of a boy with a beret sticking his tongue out at him loops in the center.

He blanches before gnashing his teeth. "Butter biscuits!"

It seems he had misread the board. Tucker Foley wasn't a pawn- he was a bishop set up perfectly to take his rook.

* * *

Edward Lancer is not much of an explorer. He's read constant novels, of course, about grand adventures and cunning leaders and vast new lands, but he's never imagined himself in place of the heroes. He prefers to be the observer, just watching as the story weaves its way out, simply along for the ride.

However, years of reading have given him talents in tracking plots and characters. So, when his gut tells him that the protagonist is nearer than expected, he follows it.

He slows his steps and falls into pace just a bit ahead and to the side of the last portion of the group. Just a few paces shy of Daniel Fenton.

"I've gotta admit, the animation was a good touch." From the corner of his eyes, Lancer watches as Daniel wipes tears of mirth from his eyes, leaning heavily on Tucker Foley. His voice is so hoarse with laughter that Lancer nearly recoils with shock. Lord of the Rings, he can't possibly fathom how they're all so relaxed!

"Oh, yeah." Tucker puffs out his chest proudly and readjusts his beret. "The fruitloop's probably steaming right now."

He feels a chill run down his spine at the sound of Samantha Manson's laughter- not because of the sound of it, but more because he had hypothesized that she _couldn't _laugh. "We should send Klemper after him next."

Valerie Gray's head shoots up, and she looks very serious as she says, "That's actually a genius idea."

Her presence, for a moment, strikes Lancer as odd. The teens have always been friends, but Miss Manson, Mr. Foley, and Mr. Fenton were the inseparable ones. Despite their lack of popularity, they still garner near constant attention from the entire student body due to their constant disappearances and mysterious activities. The Secret Trio, they've taken to calling them. For whatever reason, even people they're friendly with seem to have walls blocking them from really entering the circle, and that had included Valerie.

Well, not anymore, though. It seemed the girl had passed whatever initiation into their little group there was. Maybe they would be the Secret Four, now.

"I'm already one step ahead," Daniel snickers. "I'm rounding everyone I can later- people are not going to be happy about Vlad's little plan."

He ponders for a second on who they are talking about. The only Vlad he knows is Mayor Masters. "Everyone?" Samantha echoes before covering her mouth to mask a snort. "Oh, that fruitloop's dead."

"Well, all the way dead, at least." Tucker pipes in, typing away on his PDA as usual. Doing what, he has no idea, given that there's no reception in the Ghost Zone. And they've checked. Thoroughly. "Anyway, which should I send next?"

"I vote the DP logo." Samantha replies, gesturing at something on the screen.

"No, send the cute Red Huntress animation you showed me the other day. You know, the one where she blows Plasmius to _bits_." Her tone takes a turn for the dark, and Lancer stumbles a bit in his walking. He makes a mental note to not get on Miss Grey's bad side. With a conviction like that, she'd make a great villain if necessary.

Samantha rolls her eyes. Lancer is mildly surprised- he never pinned her as a Phan. And on that note, he hadn't really pictured Valerie as a Red Huntress fan, either. "That's biased."

"And you're not?"

"Cool it, you two. I already sent one of Cujo pissing on his screen."

The girls pause before sharing mischievous smiles. "That works."

Daniel shakes his head fondly. "What am I going to do with you guys?"

"Love us." Tucker winks and resumes his playing. "Anyway, I'll hold off on the taunting for a while. We don't need to get him too mad- he might decide to blow _us_ to bits."

Lancer feels slightly ill at the prospect of being blown to bits, but forces himself to calm down. Surely these children are just talking about an antagonist in some silly video game. He had heard that _Doomed _was getting a few new bosses…

However, he never has been good at convincing himself of plot points that aren't there. His favorite part of a story is questioning everything and not drawing conclusions too soon. Sometimes he curses his love of books, because for whatever reason his reading self has become stuck on the prospect that Daniel Fenton is the protagonist.

"Like he could. He shouldn't underestimate little Mr. Hero Complex over here." Samantha nudges Daniel with a smirk. "We should focus on more important things, like food."

Food. Lancer stumbles in his steps at the word. How had they- the adults- not spoken about that yet?

Daniel appears unworried. "Well, we all brought lunch. I'm assuming no one's gonna be hungry for a few hours, since everyone's still a little freaked about the whole 'we're stuck in the Ghost Zone' thing. Mom and Dad aren't idiots- they're just a little excited is all. They'll make sure to split the food right later."

"Alright," Samantha concedes. "But they don't know that it's a three day walk and _somebody_ decided not to take the lead."

"I don't need to!" The boy hisses, though it sounds more like a whine. "If things go bad I will, but since the path is taking them to the Keep anyway, we don't need to worry."

Lancer can't even pretend to be following their conversation anymore. The Keep? A three-day walk? Why is it that whenever he seems to pin these children down, they rebel against his perceptions?

"Wh- Hey!" Three sets of inquisitive eyes go to Mr. Foley, and Mr. Lancer resists the urge to make his eavesdropping more obvious. "Fruitloop's bringing my mom into this."

Samantha smirks. "Ignore him. He's just jealous you have some sort of woman in your life."

"Well," Ms. Gray inspects her nails coyly. "That's if you're excluding the cats."

"Stop being mean, guys." Daniel says, and all the teens turn to squint at him, even Mr. Foley's who's eyes have been glued to his screen for the past ten minutes.

"'Stop being mean', he says." Valerie drops her voice several octaves, putting her hands on her hips and wagging her finger at Samantha and Tucker. "'We can't bully Vlad, guys. It doesn't matter if he's crazy and trying to kill us. It's still very rude.'"

Lancer feels that sense of foreboding creep up his spine again at the word 'kill'. He doesn't really think this is a joke anymore.

"Hero's heart of gold, this one." Tucker goes back to playing with his PDA. "He'll be the one beating the crap out of Vlad later, anyway."

"All I'm saying is that we should save the trash talk for his face." Danny grumbles, cheeks pink.

Samantha clicks her tongue. "Who cares about hurting his feelings? He's crazy."

"And he's trying to kill you." Valerie chimes in and that word sends another trill down Lancer's back. "Seriously, Fenton, when did you get so nice?"

"I've always been nice!" Daniel puffs out his chest. "And tough. And strong. And cool, and witty, and overall amazing."

Tucker taps away. "Don't forget modest."

"And modest." Danny adds, nodding. "You just haven't been seeing it."

"Yeah, along with everyone else."

The conversation lapses back into normal teenage sass and Lancer blocks them out to think. The word 'kill' nips around his head like a gnat and refuses to leave him alone. He tries to safely tuck himself into the idea of this being a joke, but he's in the _Ghost Zone_ and these children appear to be the only ones genuinely calm given the situation. They aren't playing some game of pretend. They know full well what's going on, and seem convinced that they are in mortal danger.

His hands itch for a paperback. One with a plot that's measurable and comprehensive. He has always been good at picking out important points while reading novels because he never forgets a character or a detail. Even the most insignificant things will weave together in his mind's eye to create a proper picture of what is to come.

Reading is easier. He can't deal with being a character himself- without being able to physically _feel_ the story, without knowing the backgrounds of the other characters and without the usual plot indicators that hint at a change in pace, he's hopelessly lost. He doesn't know where he fit and he doesn't know what he's to do. He's a better observer than he is an active participant, and it shows here.

Daniel seems to finally notice him and, sequentially, his unease. Sometimes Lancer marvels at the boy's ability to be so alert yet so out of touch at the same time. "Hey, Mr. Lancer? Are you okay?"

Lancer spares him a thin smile. He supposes he probably doesn't look too good- he's felt rather sick since their arrival in the Ghost Zone. He's scared out of his wits and the swirling green sky is giving him vertigo. He doesn't tell him that, though. "Just fine, Daniel."

"Danny." The teen responds quickly, scratching his neck. "Just Danny, Mr. Lancer."

"Right. Danny." The name feels strange on his tongue- he hasn't called Danny that since freshman year. He had stopped after a while, because he felt he hadn't really had the right to call the boy so familiarly, especially after all the bullying he let slip past his watch. "I-I'm fine, Danny."

Danny smiles slightly at the name before shrugging. "If you say so, Mr. Lancer."

When he turns back to his friends, Lancer finds himself relaxing a bit. Maybe living in the Most Haunted City in the Country has its perks- one being that the ability to adapt to strange situations is most certainly embedded in his DNA by now. Danie- Danny's words have reminded him that he shouldn't be the one getting asked such questions. He should be the one doing the leading and the counseling.

Determination fills his veins and he resolves to speak to the Fentons about all the points the children brought up; namely, food. Maybe his role in this plot will be a little more active, after all.

At the thought, he thinks of another Danny. He wonders where the true hero is hiding- he's always passively supported the ghost boy, but the fact that he hasn't come parading in to help them yet is odd. While the city might not know about their disappearance yet, Amity's resident crime fighter should have caught wind by now…

Inexplicably, his eyes stray to Danny Fenton. Something in his stomach is telling him that he's not looking at a mere supporting character or pseudo-hero. Something tells him he's looking at the main character.

Danny turns to him and smiles again in that reassuring way of his before being drawn back into conversation. Lancer stares a while longer, and for a moment the white shirt his student is wearing seems to turn black.

He trips over his own feet and inhales sharply. He gets several strange looks from some of the teens in front of him, but he ignores them steadily. Instead he tries to reign in his thoughts and convince himself to stomp out the silly, farfetched idea.

Suddenly, he feels very sick. Danny _Fenton_… Danny…

He shakes his head vigorously and tries to ignore the glaring evidence from the past three years that practically shrieks at him. Long bathroom breaks, leaving class and coming back bruised, leaving class and never returning, the constant state of alertness, the exhaustion, the missing homework assignments-

No matter how many times he tells himself to stop, memories just keep on presenting themselves like pigs for slaughter. The character arcs cross and he realizes that if there's one thing he knows about novels, it's that every great one has an even greater plot twist.

* * *

Maybe he's not a particularly brave person, but even Mikey can taste the adventure in the air. They're in the Ghost Zone. The Ghost Zone. He's pretty sure that besides Danny Phantom, this is the one thing his class can agree on being cool.

Terrifying, of course, but still cool.

Sam and Danny's fall from before helped him stop hyperventilating- thank goodness, since he didn't bring his inhaler- so he's able to look around without passing out. The sky is a weird, swirling green color punctuated by purple doors and floating rocks. The path they're on seems to be self-forming, because he can see stray rocks come together about a couple hundred meters ahead of them to make footholds. He practically salivates at the sight- if this place wasn't so scary, it'd make a great MMORPG map.

Nathan fidgets to his right, obviously still not that comfortable with the situation. Mikey allows himself a snort- Nathan's only lived in Amity for a handful of years. Even before the ghosts showed up, things have always been a little weird in town. He'll give his friend another year or two before nothing surprises him anymore.

Huh. He's scared of bullies but not ghosts. There's probably a punch line in there somewhere.

Speaking of bullies, though, the A-listers are chattering about Danny Phantom and how he'll definitely save them. In Paulina's opinion, however, he could totally "ditch the geeks." Mikey frowns. Maybe he and his friends aren't the most popular, but they're in a different _dimension_. This isn't the time to be making jokes about leaving people behind.

A hush falls upon the group when a green blob of a ghost passes by, though. The A-listers freeze up and stop walking. Mikey nearly grins despite his fear- they're not talking so tough now, are they?

Mr. Fenton hoists his bazooka over his shoulder, but his hot daughter, Jazz, tries to talk him down before he can shoot. The ghost does something he supposes is odd- it just sorta watches them. Tilts his head and stuff. Mr. and Mrs. Fenton halt in their perceived offense to stare.

The ghost looks at something over Mikey's head before ducking his head in a bow and scurrying off. Mikey glances back, but all he sees is the Mystery Trio (plus Valerie), looking as scared as ever.

"Wow," Danny says loudly, wiping a cold sweat off his brow. "That was a close one."

Tucker shakes in his boots. "Oh yeah, totally. We should leave before that scary ghost comes back."

Mr. and Mrs. Fenton agree with this course of action, because they rally the group back into a forward march. Still, an unease creeps over everyone. The only ghost they've ever thought of as remotely nice was Danny Phantom. Every other ghost is supposed to attack on sight.

This one didn't, though. It looked at them all confused and then went on its merry way.

Mikey strains his already poor eyes to see against the weird backdrop of the Ghost Zone. What he sees nearly makes him piss himself- there are ghosts_ everywhere_. Some ignore them, others glance and continue on, and others still stop and stare. There're at least a good hundred near them right now, and not a single one attacks.

His classmates seem to finally notice, too, because everyone keeps quiet for a good while. The two Fentons look visibly distressed- Mikey suspects it's either because Jazz has confiscated their weapons or because the ghosts aren't doing what they expected them to.

Nathan makes a gagging noise like he's going to throw up. "Dude…"

"Oh, ew, no." Mikey groans and shoves him away. "If you're gonna do that, do it on the other side of the path. That's gross."

The green of Nathan's face looks strange against his bright red mop of hair. "Duuude…"

"Just calm down, Nathan." Mikey hesitantly pats his back, though he makes sure to keep a distance. "It's okay. They're just ghosts. We've been dealing with them for years. Also, my shoes are new. Have I mentioned that my shoes are new?"

Mikey is distinctly relieved when Nathan stops looking like he's going to puke up his breakfast. Their friend Lester finally joins them when the danger of him doing so passes. "So, this is three levels of freaky."

"No kidding." Mikey replies absently, turning his attention back to the ghosts again. There are all types- humanoid, blobs, and animals. None of them attack, and each seems to keep a respectable distance. Mikey wonders why before noticing a pattern. The ones that get too close always end up looking towards the back of the group before bowing and rushing away.

Mikey looks back again, but all he finds is Danny Fenton and his friends. He furrows his brow in question. What are the ghosts looking at?

He entertains the thought for a second that Danny Fenton is scaring them off. Something about Danny has always been a little off, after all- everyone else sees him as this sort of scapegoat and a whole bunch of people feel bad for him, but Mikey remembers something that happened in 8th grade when_ he_ used to be Dash's favorite punching bag. One day when Dash was about to wail on him after lunch, Danny Fenton, obscure and quiet and utterly unnoticeable, 'accidently' tripped him in the hall in front of all the A-listers. He fell flat on his face, broke his nose, and swore revenge. After that, Mikey only ever received Dash's general malice while Danny took on the role of his main target.

The rest of the student population pities Danny, but Mikey knows that what happened that day was no accident. Danny isn't afraid of Dash or any of the A-listers- he had tripped Dash so that Mikey wouldn't be picked on anymore. He just knows it.

He wonders why Danny always pretends to be scared, though. Of bullies and of ghosts. Mikey's smart, and he can tell when people are hiding things- Danny grew up with ghost hunting parents. He has no reason to be afraid, and Mikey suspects that he isn't.

Still, he brushes aside the idea of Danny scaring the ghosts away. Danny may be brave, but he's not really that intimidating. He's tall, but he's still sort of lanky in his too big clothes. Plus, he's always hunched over- even more than Mikey. He seems smaller than he really is, and Mikey doesn't see why the ghosts would run away at the sight of _him_.

Lester makes a little noise. "Nathan. Nathan, come _on_, man. Don't do this to me."

Mikey turns to find Nathan looking once again inconsolable. He sighs. While his friends are definitely some of the most interesting people he knows, their health- or lack thereof- often hinders their ability to explore. "_Nathan_."

"Sorry," Nathan says through his big fingers, not looking very sorry at all. Well, other than for himself, anyway. "I'm trying."

"Do us a favor and try harder." Lester complains. "These shoes are new."

"As are mine." Mikey quips, adjusting his glasses. "Very new. Like, the newest."

Nathan gags again. Mikey and Lester both step away cautiously.

Mikey turns his attention back to the sky. "Wonder why they haven't done anything yet."

"The A-listers probably don't smell appetizing enough," Lester snarks, though he keeps his eyes trained on every ghost that flies by. Mikey knows he's a little scared, but he'd be pretty stupid not to be.

"Or they're intimidated by our super tough fighting moves."

"Or they're repelled by Paulina's screechy voice."

"Or they're warded off by Dash's overcompensation pheromones."

"Or they're allergic to vomit. _Which Nathan looks dangerously close to providing us with_."

Nathan finally heads to the edge of the ledge and begins to relieve himself of his burden, thankfully avoiding the shoes. The A-listers turn back and snicker, incidentally reverting back to their mean gossip. Mikey rolls his eyes and pats Nathan on the back comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Nathan." Lester is cheerful now that he's not in danger of being puked on. "Joke's on them- you're keeping the ghosts away."

Mr. Lancer catches up with their part of the group and sighs at the sight of them. "How I wish I could do the same." He says wistfully, crouching next to poor Nathan. "Are you okay, Nathan?"

"Peachy." Nathan moans and throws up again.

Danny Fenton's group- the last one- finally passes them. Lester makes sure to block Valerie's view of Nathan in his debilitated state. Mikey notices Danny pause in his steps and reach into his backpack. Sam Manson says something to him, but he shakes his head. The rest of their group stops to wait for him, and he jogs towards them holding a water bottle and a little pack of crackers.

"Hey, Nathan, my man," Danny says with such a casual air that Mikey finds himself blinking in shock. He knows Nathan's had conversations with Danny about as much as he has with Valerie- that is, not much. "Let's get you up, okay?

Nathan makes a few more unintelligible moaning sounds before retching again. Danny is surprisingly patient, but Mikey feels sorta uncomfortable with his presence. He's never really thanked him for what he did in the 8th grade, and in his opinion it hangs between them like the elephant in the room. "You, um, don't have to wait for us, you know. He'll be okay soon."

Danny turns to him and smiles bashfully. "I know. It's just, well, I've got water and stuff so I figured I could help." He looks back at Nathan, who's finished his more recent episode. "Come on, dude." He says and hoists him up by the arm surprisingly easily. "We can't have Val seeing you like that. You'll worry her."

Mikey and Lester gape at him and Nathan's face instantly gains some animation. "Valerie's worried about me?"

"She will be, if she sees you like that," Danny says firmly. He shoves the water into Nathan's hands. "Drink this. Not all at once, though. Little sips and pace yourself. You'll just throw the water up if you drink too fast."

Nathan nods vigorously and unscrews the cap, making sure to keep his sips small. Mikey and Lester exchange a look.

"Why didn't we think of that?" Lester hisses, elbowing Mikey in the ribs.

Mikey turns his stare back to Danny, who then hands Nathan the crackers. "I think the better question is, how did _he_ think of it?"

"Eat those when you're feeling a little more up to it. It'll help calm your stomach down." Danny instructs easily. "Do you want any, Mr. Lancer? I've got extra."

Mikey had forgotten about their teacher. Lancer stands and wipes his hands on his slacks and looks at Danny like he's seen a ghost. "No, no, Danny. I'm fine. Really."

Danny looks at him oddly before shrugging. "Alright, then." He turns to Nathan and pats him on the shoulder. "Remember not to eat or drink too fast," He says before nodding at them and walking away.

"Uh, thanks!" Mikey calls hesitantly as Danny joins his own circle. He glances back and shoots him a wave, which Mikey assumes means "no problem."

Mr. Lancer clears his throat and ushers them forward. "Right, then, boys. We're wasting daylight- or, I suppose, ecto-plasmic glow."

Mikey lets himself be herded towards the rest of the class, and notices that they overtake Danny's group relatively easily. They seem to be in heated discussion, and they don't so much as acknowledge them as they pass.

"Well, that was even weirder than the ghosts." Lester comments, and Mikey is inclined to agree. He swears that when the next ghost flies by, it looks right at Danny Fenton before flying away.

* * *

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Woah that was a longer wait than I had expected I'm sorry- Mr. Lancer was way harder to write than I thought he'd be and I kept getting stuck on him.

Unfortunately, the next chapter'll probably come with around the same wait. School and stuff, you know the deal. However, I'm reading every single review I receive, so if you have an idea or a request, please leave it! I'm not too good at replying but I'll be sure to see it, so your opinions'll be heard.

Other than that, I hope you guys have an awesome holiday and a Happy New Year! See you in 2014!


	5. Quick Author's Note

Figured I'd just post this:

I've decided to spend some time rewriting the first 4 chapters

The writing style isn't cutting it for me, and I feel like I'm telling you guys things more than I'm showing them, which makes things a lot less dramatic and fun to follow. Plus, I feel like I'm dramatizing some things too much. Danny needs more sarcasm and this whole thing needs less misplaced emotional drama and more action. So, it needs a reboot.

So, I'll be updating those for probably the next month or two- it shouldn't take that long, and I'll have chapter 5 out in February, I promise!

I want to make this story more fun to read for all of you! So, please be patient with me and I'll fix it up soon!

Thanks for all the support thus far!

-Izzy


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